Technologies for driver behavior assessment

ABSTRACT

Technologies assessing driver behavior include a vehicle telematics device configured to analyze sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors to detect whether a vehicle event has occurred and to communicate with a vehicle camera system to obtain video data associated with the detected vehicle event. The vehicle telematics device may transmit the obtained sensor data and/or video data to a remote server system. The vehicle telematics device may also receive a notification from the vehicle camera system that indicates the vehicle camera system has detected a vehicle event. In response to the notification, the vehicle telematics device may obtain sensor data form the one or more vehicle sensors and/or video data from the vehicle camera system and transmit the sensor and/or video data to the remove server system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present patent application claims priority to and the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/979,587, entitled“Systems and Methods for Driver Behavior Assessment,” which was filed onFeb. 21, 2020, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for usinginformation captured by one or more cameras with information detected bya telematics units to assess driver behavior. In particular, the presentdisclosure relates to technologies for detecting events, such as safetyviolations performed by a vehicle, and the triggering the recording ofvideo based upon the detected events.

BACKGROUND

Telematics is the integrated use of telecommunications and informatics.Telematics units are installed in vehicles to provide a variety oftelematics functionality in the vehicle. This functionality includes,but is not limited to, emergency warning systems, navigationfunctionality, safety warnings, and automated driving assistance.Telematics units are also capable of recording vehicle information/datarelated to the operation of the vehicle and providing that informationfor analysis, whether in real-time or not, such as during a time whenthe vehicle is being serviced. The vehicle information/data (telematicsdata) generated by a telematics unit can be used in a variety ofapplications, such as fleet tracking, shipment tracking, insurancecalculations, and in vehicle management and service.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle telematics devicefor assessing driver behavior may include a camera interface, one ormore processors, and one or more memory devices. The camera interfacemay be configured to communicate with a vehicle camera system of avehicle to obtain video data produced by the vehicle camera system. Theone or more memory devices may be communicatively coupled to the one ormore processors and may have stored therein a plurality of instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vehicletelematics device to obtain sensor data from at least one vehicle sensorof the vehicle; analyze the sensor data to detect whether a vehicleevent has occurred; communicate, in response to detection of the vehicleevent, with the vehicle camera system to obtain video data associatedwith the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camera system; andtransmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to aremote server system.

In some embodiments, to obtain the sensor data may include to obtainsensor data from a vehicle sensor external to the vehicle telematicsdevice and installed in the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, toobtain the sensor data may include to obtain sensor data from a vehiclesensor located in the vehicle telematics device.

Additionally, in some embodiments, to analyze the sensor data mayinclude to analyze the sensor data to detect whether a vehicle eventindicative of a safety violation of the operation of the vehicle hasoccurred. For example, to analyze the sensor data may include to analyzethe sensor data over a period of time and/or to compare the sensor datato a reference threshold.

In some embodiments, to communicate with the vehicle camera system mayinclude to transmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, aninstruction to the vehicle camera system to begin recording video.Additionally or alternatively, to communicate with the vehicle camerasystem may include to request video data from the vehicle camera systemthat includes a time period prior to the detection of the vehicle event.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the plurality of instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, may further cause the vehicletelematics device to analyze the video data associated with the detectedvehicle event to verify that the detected vehicle event has occurred. Insuch embodiments, to transmit the video data associated with thedetected vehicle event and the sensor data to a remote server system mayinclude to transmit, in response to verification that the detectedvehicle event has occurred, the video data associated with the detectedvehicle event and the sensor data to a remote server system.

In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions, when executed by theone or more processors, may further cause the vehicle telematics deviceto generate a vehicle event message in response to detection of thevehicle event, wherein the vehicle event message includes the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and the sensor data. In suchembodiments, to transmit the video data associated with the detectedvehicle event and the sensor data may include to transmit the vehicleevent message to the remote server system.

Further, in some embodiments, the plurality of instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, may further cause the vehicletelematics device to monitor for a request from the remote server systemsubsequent to the transmission of the video data associated with thedetected vehicle event and the transmitted sensor data; obtain, based onthe request, additional sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor ofthe vehicle; and transmit the additional sensor data to the remoteserver system. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, theplurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,may further cause the vehicle telematics device to monitor for a requestfrom the remote server system subsequent to the transmission of thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and thetransmitted sensor data; obtain, based on the request, additional videodata from the vehicle camera system; and transmit the additional videodata to the remote server system.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for assigningderiver behavior of a vehicle may include obtaining, by a vehicletelematics device, sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of thevehicle; analyzing, by the vehicle telematics device, the sensor data todetect whether a vehicle event has occurred; communicating, by thevehicle telematics device and in response to detection of the vehicleevent, with a vehicle camera system of the vehicle to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmitting, by the vehicle telematics device and inresponse to detection of the vehicle event, the video data associatedwith the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to a remote serversystem.

In some embodiments, analyzing the sensor data may include analyzing thesensor data to detect whether a vehicle event indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle has occurred. Additionally, insome embodiments, communicating with the vehicle camera system mayinclude transmitting, by the vehicle telematics device and in responseto detection of the vehicle event, an instruction to the vehicle camerasystem to begin recording video. Further, in some embodiments, themethod may further include monitoring, by the vehicle telematics device,for a request from the remote server system subsequent to thetransmission of the video data associated with the detected vehicleevent and the transmitted sensor data; obtaining, based on the request,additional sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle;and transmitting the additional sensor data to the remote server system.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, one or morenon-transitory, machine-readable storage media may include a pluralityof instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a vehicletelematics device to obtain sensor data from at least one vehicle sensorof a vehicle; analyze the sensor data to detect whether a vehicle eventhas occurred; communicate, in response to detection of the vehicleevent, with a vehicle camera system of the vehicle to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and the sensordata to a remote server system.

In some embodiments, to analyze the sensor data may include to analyzethe sensor data to detect whether a vehicle event indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle has occurred. Additionally, insome embodiments, to communicate with the vehicle camera system mayinclude to transmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, aninstruction to the vehicle camera system to begin recording video.Further, in some embodiments, the plurality of instructions storedthereon that, when executed, may further cause a vehicle telematicsdevice to monitor for a request from the remote server system subsequentto the transmission of the video data associated with the detectedvehicle event and the transmitted sensor data; obtain, based on therequest, additional sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of thevehicle; and transmit the additional sensor data to the remote serversystem.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle telematicsdevice for assessing driver behavior may include a camera interface, oneor more processors, and one or more memory devices. The camera interfacemay be configured to communicate with a vehicle camera system of avehicle to obtain video data produced by the vehicle camera system. Theone or more memory devices may be communicatively coupled to the one ormore processors and may have stored therein a plurality of instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vehicletelematics device to receive a notification from the vehicle camerasystem that indicates the vehicle camera system has detected a vehicleevent; obtain, in response to the notification, sensor data from atleast one vehicle sensor of the vehicle; communicate, in response to thenotification, with the vehicle camera system to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmit, in response to the notification, the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to aremote server system.

In some embodiments, the vehicle event may be indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle has occurred. Additionally, insome embodiments, the plurality of instructions, when executed by theone or more processors, may further cause the vehicle telematics deviceto verify that the detected vehicle event has occurred. For example, toverify that the detected vehicle event has occurred may include toanalyze the obtained sensor data to verify that the detected vehicleevent has occurred. Additionally, to verify that the detected vehicleevent has occurred may include to analyze the video data associated withthe detected vehicle event to verify that the detected vehicle event hasoccurred.

Additionally, in some embodiments, to obtain the sensor data may includeto obtain sensor data from a vehicle sensor external to the vehicletelematics device and installed in the vehicle. Additionally oralternatively, to obtain the sensor data may include to obtain sensordata from a vehicle sensor located in the vehicle telematics device. Insome embodiments, to communicate with the vehicle camera system mayinclude to transmit, in response to the notification, an instruction tothe vehicle camera system to begin recording video. Additionally oralternatively, to communicate with the vehicle camera system may includeto request video data from the vehicle camera system that includes atime period prior to the notification.

Accordingly to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for assessingdriver behavior may include receiving, by a vehicle telematics device, anotification from a vehicle camera system of a vehicle that indicatesthe vehicle camera system has detected a vehicle event; obtaining, bythe vehicle telematics device and in response to the notification,sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle;communicating, by the vehicle telematics device and in response to thenotification, with the vehicle camera system to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmitting, by the vehicle telematics device and inresponse to the notification, the video data associated with thedetected vehicle event and the sensor data to a remote server system.

In some embodiments, the vehicle event may be indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle has occurred. Additionally, insome embodiments, the method may further include verifying the detectedvehicle event has occurred. For example, verifying that the detectedvehicle event has occurred may include analyzing the obtained sensordata to verify that the detected vehicle event has occurred.Additionally, verifying that the detected vehicle event has occurred mayinclude analyzing the video data associated with the detected vehicleevent to verify that the detected vehicle event has occurred.

Additionally, in some embodiments, obtaining the sensor data may includeto obtaining sensor data from a vehicle sensor external to the vehicletelematics device and installed in the vehicle. Additionally oralternatively, obtaining the sensor data may include obtaining sensordata from a vehicle sensor located in the vehicle telematics device. Insome embodiments, communicating with the vehicle camera system mayinclude transmitting, in response to the notification, an instruction tothe vehicle camera system to begin recording video. Additionally oralternatively, communicating with the vehicle camera system may includerequesting video data from the vehicle camera system that includes atime period prior to the notification.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, one or moremachine-readable storage media may include a plurality of instructionsstored thereon that, when executed, cause a vehicle telematics device toreceive a notification from a vehicle camera system of a vehicle thatindicates the vehicle camera system has detected a vehicle event;obtain, in response to the notification, sensor data from at least onevehicle sensor of the vehicle; communicate, in response to thenotification, with the vehicle camera system to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem;

In some embodiments, the vehicle event may be indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle has occurred. Additionally, insome embodiments, the plurality of instructions, when executed by theone or more processors, may further cause the vehicle telematics deviceto verify that the detected vehicle event has occurred. For example, toverify that the detected vehicle event has occurred may include toanalyze the obtained sensor data to verify that the detected vehicleevent has occurred. Additionally, to verify that the detected vehicleevent has occurred may include to analyze the video data associated withthe detected vehicle event to verify that the detected vehicle event hasoccurred.

Additionally, in some embodiments, to obtain the sensor data may includeto obtain sensor data from a vehicle sensor external to the vehicletelematics device and installed in the vehicle. Additionally oralternatively, to obtain the sensor data may include to obtain sensordata from a vehicle sensor located in the vehicle telematics device. Insome embodiments, to communicate with the vehicle camera system mayinclude to transmit, in response to the notification, an instruction tothe vehicle camera system to begin recording video. Additionally oralternatively, to communicate with the vehicle camera system may includeto request video data from the vehicle camera system that includes atime period prior to the notification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The concepts described herein are illustrated by way of example and notby way of limitation in the accompanying figures. For simplicity andclarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Where considered appropriate, referencelabels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding oranalogous elements.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of at least one embodiment of asystem for driver behavior assessment;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of at least one embodiment of avehicle telematics device of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified illustration of an image of video data that maybe produced by a vehicle camera system of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of at least one embodiment of aremote server of a remote server system of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a communication flow of anembodiment of the system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are a simplified flow chart of at least one embodiment ofa method for driver behavior assessment;

FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of a communication flow of anotherembodiment of the system of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are a simplified flow chart of at least one otherembodiment of a method for driver behavior assessment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof havebeen shown by way of example in the drawings and will be describedherein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is nointent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particularforms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the presentdisclosure and the appended claims.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily includethat particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, suchphrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further,when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within theknowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure,or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or notexplicitly described. Additionally, it should be appreciated that itemsincluded in a list in the form of “at least one of A, B, and C” can mean(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).Similarly, items listed in the form of “at least one of A, B, or C” canmean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).

The disclosed embodiments may be implemented, in some cases, inhardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosedembodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried by or storedon one or more non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable)storage media, which may be read and executed by one or more processors.A machine-readable storage medium may be embodied as any storage device,mechanism, or other physical structure for storing or transmittinginformation in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a volatile ornon-volatile memory, a media disc, or other media device).

In the drawings, some structural and/or method features may be shown inspecific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should beappreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not berequired. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged ina different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figures.Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in aparticular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required inall embodiments and, in some embodiments, may not be included or may becombined with other features.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a system 100 for driver behavior assessmentincludes a vehicle telematics device 102, one or more vehicle sensors104, and a vehicle camera system 106, each of which may be installed inor otherwise carried by a vehicle 110. The system 100 also includes aremote server system 112 and a network 114, over which the vehicletelematics device 102 and the remote server system 112 may communicate.In use, as described in more detail below, the vehicle telematics device102 is configured to analyze the sensor data produced by the vehiclesensors 104 to detect whether a vehicle event has occurred. If thevehicle telematics device 102 determines that a vehicle event hasoccurred, the vehicle telematics device 102 communicates with thevehicle camera system 106 to obtain video data associated with thevehicle event and subsequently transmits the sensor data and the videodata to the remote server system 112 over the network 114. In someembodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may perform additionalanalysis of the sensor data and/or video data to verify the initiallydetected vehicle event prior to transmitting the sensor and video datato the remote server system 112. Additionally, in some embodiments, thevehicle telematics device 102 may generate a vehicle event message thatprovides information regarding the detected vehicle event, and which mayinclude the sensor data and/or video data, and transmit the vehicleevent message to the remote server system 112.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle camera system 106 may beconfigured to analyze the video data produced by the vehicle camerasystem 106 (e.g., by a road-facing camera 132 and/or a driver-facingcamera 134 of the vehicle camera system 106) to detect the occurrence ofa vehicle event. If the vehicle camera system 106 detects a vehicleevent based on the video data, the vehicle camera system 106 isconfigured to notify the vehicle telematics device 102. In response, thevehicle telematics device 102 may obtain sensor data from the vehiclesensors 104 and request video data associated with the vehicle eventfrom the vehicle camera system 106. The vehicle telematics device 102subsequently transmits the sensor data and the video data (e.g., viavehicle event message) to the remote server system 112 over the network114.

As discussed further below, the detected vehicle event may be embodiedas any type of event of the vehicle 110, or related thereto, from whichan assessment of driver behavior may be derived. For example, in theillustrative embodiment, the vehicle event is indicative of a safetyviolation of the operation of the vehicle 110 (e.g., that the vehicle110 is being operated in a manner that is unsafe, that is against rulesof the road, that is against a driver or company policy, etc.).

The vehicle telematics device 102 may be embodied as any type oftelematics or computer device, component, circuit or collection thereofthat is capable of performing the functions described herein. In someembodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may be embodied as astand-alone unit that may be installed in the vehicle 110 andinterconnected with existing systems and/or data busses of the vehicle110. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the vehicle telematics device102 may be integrated into another component of the vehicle 110, such asthe engine control unit (ECU)/engine control module (ECM) of the vehicle110.

As shown in FIG. 2, the illustrative vehicle telematics device 102includes compute circuitry 202, an input/output (“I/O”) subsystem 208, adata storage 210, a camera interface 212, a communication subsystem 214,and, optionally, one or more onboard sensors 216 and one or moreperipheral devices 218. Of course, it should be appreciated that thevehicle telematics device 102 may include other or additionalcomponents, such as those commonly found in a typical compute device orcontrol unit, in other embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments,one or more of the illustrative components may be incorporated in, orotherwise form a portion of, another component.

The compute circuitry 202 may be embodied as any type of device orcollection of devices capable of performing various compute functions.In some embodiments, the compute circuitry 202 may be embodied as asingle device such as an integrated circuit, an embedded system, afield-programmable-array (FPGA, a system-on-a-chip (SOC), or otherintegrated system or device. Additionally, in some embodiments, thecompute circuitry 202 includes or is embodied as a processor 204 andmemory 206. The processor 204 may be embodied as any type of processorcapable of performing the functions described herein. For example, theprocessor 204 may be embodied as a single or multi-core processor(s),digital signal processor, microcontroller, or other processor orprocessing/controlling circuit. Similarly, the memory 206 may beembodied as any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storagecapable of performing the functions described herein.

The compute circuitry 202 is communicatively coupled to other componentsof the vehicle telematics device 102 via the I/O subsystem 208, whichmay be embodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitateinput/output operations with the compute circuitry 202 (e.g., with theprocessor 204 and/or memory 206) and other components of the vehicletelematics device 102. For example, the I/O subsystem 208 may beembodied as, or otherwise include, memory controller hubs, input/outputcontrol hubs, firmware devices, wired or wireless communication links(i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides,printed circuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components andsubsystems to facilitate the input/output operations. In someembodiments, the I/O subsystem 208 may be incorporated, along with theprocessor 204, the memory 206, and other components of the vehicletelematics device 102, into the compute circuitry 202.

The data storage 210 may be embodied as any type of device or devicesconfigured for short-term or long-term storage of data such as, forexample, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, hard disk drives,solid-state drives, or other data storage devices. As shown in FIG. 2,the data storage 210 may store a vehicle event detection application220, vehicle data 222, driver data 224, sensor data 226, and video data228. The vehicle event detection application 220 is illustratively beembodied as a set of software and/or firmware instructions, which may beexecuted by the compute circuitry 202 (e.g., by the processor 204) toperform the functions of the vehicle telematics device 102 describedherein.

The vehicle data 222 may be embodied as any type of data that describesa characteristic of the vehicle 110, such as the make, model, year,mileage, features, and/or capabilities of the vehicle 110. Additionally,in some embodiments, the vehicle data 222 may also include vehiclepolicy rules that define safety parameters of the vehicle (e.g., amaximum allowed speed, an allowable length of operation, etc.). In suchembodiments, if the vehicle telematics device 102 determines that avehicle policy rules has been broken, the vehicle telematics device 102may determine that a vehicle event has occurred.

The driver data 224 may be embodied as any type of data that describes acharacteristic of the driver of the vehicle 110, such as personalcharacteristics (e.g., age, weight, height), driver restrictions (e.g.,glasses or time restrictions), or other characteristic useful to thevehicle telematics device 102 in detecting the occurrence of a vehicleevent. Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle data 222 may alsoinclude driver policy rules that define safety parameters of the driver(e.g., allowed hours for driving, maximum hours allowed to operate thevehicle 110, etc.). In such embodiments, similar to the vehicle policyrules, if the vehicle telematics device 102 determines that a driverpolicy rules has been broken, the vehicle telematics device 102 maydetermine that a vehicle event has occurred.

The sensor data 226 may be embodied as any type of data obtained fromvehicle sensors 104 of the vehicle 110 (and/or the onboard sensors 216)that is indicative of characteristics of the vehicle 110 and/or a driverof the vehicle 110 during operation of the vehicle 110. For example,depending on the particular vehicle sensor 104 and/or onboard sensors216, the sensor data 226 may be indicative of a speed of the vehicle110, acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 110, location of thevehicle 110, impact or inertia forces exerted on the vehicle 110, weightof the vehicle 110, vibration of the vehicle 110, voltage levels of thevehicle, ignition state of the vehicle, the state of seatbelts of thevehicle 110, operation parameters of the vehicle 110 (e.g., of an engineof the vehicle 110), location of occupants of the vehicle 110, length ofoperation of the vehicle 110, and/or other characteristics of thevehicle 110 and/or a driver of the vehicle 110 during operation of thevehicle 110. As discussed above, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayreceive the sensor data 226 from the vehicle sensors 104 and/or theonboard sensors 216 and stored the received sensor data 226 forcontemporaneous or subsequent analysis.

The video data 228 may be embodied as any type of video or image dataobtained from the vehicle camera system 106 that is associated with orotherwise indicative of the detected vehicle event. As discussed in moredetail below, the illustrative vehicle camera system 106 includes theroad-facing camera 132 and the driver-facing camera 134. As such, in theillustrative embodiment, the video data 228 includes video from theroad-facing camera 132 with contemporaneous video from the driver-facingcamera 134 “stitched” or otherwise appended thereto. In someembodiments, the video data 228 may include additional metadata appendedthereto by the vehicle camera system 106, such as time or location data.

The camera interface 212 may be embodied as any type of I/O interfacecapable of facilitating communication between the compute circuitry 202of the vehicle telematics device 102 and the vehicle camera system 106.As such, the camera interface 212 may include any suitable hardwareand/or software that facilities the reception of the video data 228 fromthe camera interface 212, either via wired or wireless communications.For example, in some embodiments, the camera interface 212 is capable offacilitating a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connection, or other connection.Additionally, in some embodiments, the camera interface 212 facilitatesthe control of the cameras of the vehicle camera system 106 (e.g., tobegin or stop recording), as discussed in more detail below.

The communication subsystem 214 may be embodied as any type ofcommunication circuit, device, or collection thereof, capable ofenabling communications (e.g., the transfer of video and sensor data)between the vehicle telematics device 102 and other components of thesystem 100 across the network 114. To do so, the communication subsystem214 may be configured to use any one or more communication technologies(e.g., wireless or wired communications) and associated protocols (e.g.,Ethernet, Bluetooth Wi-Fi WiMAX, LTE, 5G, etc.) to effect suchcommunication.

In some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may include theone or more onboard sensors 216. Each onboard sensor 216 may be embodiedas any type of sensor located on the vehicle telematics device 102 andcapable of producing sensor data indicative of characteristics of thevehicle 110 and/or a driver of the vehicle 110 during operation of thevehicle 110. For example, the onboard sensors 216 may be embodied as, orotherwise include, a speed sensor, an inertia or force sensor, an enginerevolutions-per-minute (RPM) sensor, a weight sensor, a location sensor(e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) module or sensor), a voltagesensor, an ignition sensor, a seatbelt sensor, an occupancy sensor, anoise sensor, a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor, and/or othersensor capable of producing sensor data indicative of characteristics ofthe vehicle 110 and/or a driver of the vehicle 110 during operation ofthe vehicle 110.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayinclude the one or more peripheral devices 218. Such peripheral devices218 may include any type of peripheral device commonly found in acompute device such as audio input devices, user interfaces, a display,other input/output devices, interface devices, and/or other peripheraldevices.

In some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 is configured toexecute scripts to read data and/or perform particular processes. Suchscripts may, for example, alter the behavior (e.g., the way sensor datais analyzed) of the vehicle telematics device 102. the scripts may bepre-loaded on the vehicle telematics device 102, obtained from theremote server system 112, and/or programmed into the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 via a suitable programming interface (e.g., via thecommunication subsystem 214 or the vehicle data bus 120 discussedbelow). Additionally, the vehicle telematics device 102 may beself-powered (e.g., via a rechargeable battery) and/or be connected intothe electrical system of the vehicle 110. For example, the vehicletelematics device 102 may be powered via the vehicle data bus 120 insome embodiments.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102(and/or the remote server system 112) may include or otherwise providefor a user interface to allow visualization and interaction with thesensor data and/or video data monitored by the vehicle telematics device102. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102may include or otherwise provide an interface, such as an applicationprogramming interface (API) or web service, to provide some or all ofthe sensor/video data to third-party systems for further processing.Access to such an interface may be be open and/or secured using any of avariety of techniques, such as by using client authorization keys.

Referring now back to FIG. 1, the vehicle 110 also includes the vehiclesensors 104. The vehicle sensors 104 may include one or more sensorsinstalled in or attached to the vehicle 110 or otherwise external fromthe vehicle telematics device 102. Similar to the onboard sensors 216,the vehicle sensors 104 may be embodied as any type of sensor located onthe vehicle telematics device 102 and capable of producing sensor dataindicative of characteristics of the vehicle 110 and/or a driver of thevehicle 110 during operation of the vehicle 110. For example, the sensordata may be indicative that the vehicle 110 is under hard braking orhigh acceleration by the driver, is performing a harsh cornering, hasbeen involved in a vehicle crash, has been continuously operated for toolong, has a malfunction, and/or other safety violation. Accordingly,similar to the onboard sensors 216, vehicle sensors 104 may be embodiedas, or otherwise include, a speed sensor, an inertia or force sensor, anengine revolutions-per-minute (RPM) sensor, a weight sensor, a locationsensor (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) module or sensor), avoltage sensor, an ignition sensor, a seatbelt sensor, an occupancysensor, a noise sensor, a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor,and/or other sensor capable of producing sensor data indicative ofcharacteristics of the vehicle 110 and/or a driver of the vehicle 110during operation of the vehicle 110.

The vehicle telematics device 102 may obtain the sensor data from thevehicle sensors 104 via a vehicle data bus 120. The vehicle data bus 120may be embodied as any type of I/O bus, communications network, orinterconnection capable of facilitating the transfer of data between thevehicle sensors 104 and the vehicle telematics device 102. Systems andmethods for connecting to a vehicle data bus that can be utilized inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure are described inSAE J1978, titled “OBD II Scan Tool,” first published by SAEInternational of Troy, Mich. on Mar. 1, 1992 and last updated Apr. 30,2002. Systems and methods for obtaining data from devices connected to avehicle data bus are described in SAE J1979, titled “E/E Diagnostic TestModes,” first published by SAE International on Dec. 1, 1991 and lastupdated Aug. 11, 2014.

As discussed above, the vehicle camera system 106 may be embodied as oneor more cameras configured to produce video data (e.g., video or stillimages) associated with or otherwise indicative of the detected vehicleevent. In the illustrative embodiment, the vehicle camera system 106includes the road-facing camera 132 and the driver-facing camera 134.The road-facing camera 132 may be embodied as any suitable camera orvideo-producing device installed in or otherwise attached to the vehicle110 in an orientation such that the road-facing camera 132 is capable ofcapturing video of the roadway traveled by the vehicle 110. Similarly,the driver-facing camera 134 may be embodied as any suitable camera orvideo-producing device installed in or otherwise attached to the vehicle110 in an orientation such that the driver-facing camera 134 is capableof capturing video of the driver of the vehicle 110. In embodiments inwhich the vehicle camera system 106 includes the road-facing camera 132and the driver-facing camera 134, the video data produced by the vehiclecamera system 106 may video from the road-facing camera 132 withcontemporaneous video from the driver-facing camera 134 “stitched” orotherwise appended thereto. For example, an illustrative image 300 ofvideo data produced by the vehicle camera system 106 is shown in FIG. 3.The image 300 includes the video 302 captured by the road-facing camera132 and the video 304 captured by the driver-facing camera 134 in apicture-in-picture (PIP) format. In the illustrative image 300, thevideo 304 is located in the top right corner of the video 302, but maybe located in other positions in other embodiments. Additionally,although the image 300 illustrates a particular configuration of thecameras 132, 134, it should be appreciated that the cameras 132, 134(and/or additional cameras) may be located in different locations and/ororientations in or on the vehicle 110 to facilitate the detection ofvehicle events. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle camerasystem 106 may include cameras located on the back, top, or bottom ofthe vehicle 110.

In some embodiments, as discussed in more detail below, the vehiclecamera system 106 may be configured to analyze the video data producedby the road-facing camera 132 and/or a driver-facing camera 134 todetect the occurrence of a vehicle event and, if a vehicle event isdetected, to communication a notification to the vehicle telematicsdevice 102. In such embodiments, the vehicle camera system 106 (e.g.,the road-facing camera 132 and/or a driver-facing camera 134) mayinclude suitable compute devices (processors, memory, etc.), similar tothe vehicle telematics device 102, to allow the vehicle camera system106 to perform such analytics on the video data. For example, thevehicle camera system 106 may utilize visual analytics on the video datato detect speeding violations, stop sign violations, lane drifts,tailgating vehicles in front, among various other types of driverbehavior.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the vehicle camera system 106 may provide thevideo data (and notification) to the vehicle telematics device 102 via acamera I/O interface 122. The camera I/O interface may be embodied asany type of I/O bus, communications network, or interconnection capableof facilitating the transfer of video and other data between the vehiclecamera system 106 and the vehicle telematics device 102. For example,the camera I/O interface 122 may be embodied as a wired or wirelessinterface (e.g., a Bluetooth interface) and, in some embodiments, mayform a portion of the vehicle data bus 120. In other embodiments, thecamera I/O interface 122 may form a portion of the camera interface 212of the vehicle telematics device 102 and/or a portion of the vehiclecamera system 106.

The remote server system 112 may be embodied as one or more servers orcompute devices of any type capable of communicating with the vehicletelematics device 102 to receive the sensor and video data andperforming additional analytics on the received data. In theillustrative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, remote server system 112includes compute circuitry 402 (including one or more processors 404 andmemories 406), an input/output (“I/O”) subsystem 408, a data storage410, a communication subsystem 414, and, optionally, one or moreperipheral devices 418. Of course, it should be appreciated that theremote server system 112 may include other or additional components,such as those commonly found in a typical compute device or controlunit, in other embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, one ormore of the illustrative components may be incorporated in, or otherwiseform a portion of, another component.

Each of the compute circuitry 402, the processor(s) 404, the memory(s)406, the input/output (“I/O”) subsystem 408, the data storage 410, thecommunication subsystem 414, and the peripheral devices 418 are eachsubstantially similar to the compute circuitry 202, the processor(s)204, the memory(s) 206, the input/output (“I/O”) subsystem 208, the datastorage 210, the communication subsystem 214, and the peripheral devices218 of the vehicle telematics device 102. As such, the above descriptionof those components of the vehicle telematics device 102 is equallyapplicable to corresponding components of the remote server system 112and is not repeated in this section for clarity of the description.

Similar to the data storage 210 of the vehicle telematics device 102,the data storage 410 of the remote server system 112 includes a vehicleevent analysis application 420, vehicle data 422, driver data 424,sensor data 426, and video data 428. The vehicle event analysisapplication 420 is illustratively be embodied as a set of softwareand/or firmware instructions, which may be executed by the computecircuitry 402 (e.g., by the processor 204) to perform various analysison the sensor data and/or video data received from the vehicletelematics device 102 to verify the occurrence of a vehicle event,determined additional information about the vehicle event, and/orotherwise assess the driver's behavior based on the detected vehicleevent. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device102 may be visual analytics on the video data to detect speedingviolations, stop sign violations, lane drifts, tailgating vehicles infront, among various other types of driver behavior and/or inertiaand/or crash analytics on the sensor data to determine vehicle crashevents.

The vehicle data 422 may be embodied as any type of data that describesa characteristic of the vehicle 110 and/or vehicle policy rules thatdefine safety parameters of the vehicle 110. As such, the vehicle data422 may be a copy of the vehicle data 222 of the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 or as an aggregation of vehicle data 222 from multiplevehicle telematics devices 102. Additionally, the vehicle data 422 mayinclude additional or other data relative to the vehicle data 222.

The driver data 424 may be embodied as any type of data that describes acharacteristic of the driver of the vehicle 110 and/or driver policyrules define safety parameters of the driver. As such, the driver data424 may be a copy of the driver data 224 of the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 or as an aggregation of driver data 224 from multiple vehicletelematics devices 102. Additionally, the driver data 424 may includeadditional or other data relative to the driver data 224, such as driverdata 424 for other drivers.

The sensor data 426 may be embodied as any type of data obtained fromvehicle sensors 104 of the vehicle 110 (and/or the onboard sensors 216)that is indicative of characteristics of the vehicle 110 and/or a driverof the vehicle 110 during operation of the vehicle 110. As such, thesensor data 426 may be a copy of the sensor data 226 of the vehicletelematics device 102 or as an aggregation of sensor data 226 frommultiple vehicle telematics devices 102. Additionally, the sensor data426 may include additional or other sensor data relative to the sensordata 226.

The video data 428 may be embodied as any type of video or image dataobtained from the vehicle camera system 106 that is associated with orotherwise indicative of the detected vehicle event. As such, the videodata 428 may be a copy of the video data 228 of the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 or as an aggregation of video data 228 from multiple vehicletelematics devices 102. Additionally, the video data 428 may includeadditional or other sensor data relative to the video data 228.

Referring back to FIG. 1, as discussed above, the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 and the remote server system 112 are configured tocommunicate each other over the network 114. The network 114 may beembodied as any number of various wired and/or wireless networks, orhybrids or combinations thereof. For example, the network 114 may beembodied as, or otherwise include, a cellular network, a mobile accessnetwork, a network edge infrastructure, a wired or wireless local areanetwork (LAN), and/or a wired or wireless wide area network (WAN), apublic, global network such as the Internet. As such, the network 114may include any number of additional devices, such as additional basestations, access points, computers, routers, and switches, to facilitatecommunications among the devices of the system 100.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a communication flow 500 of the illustrativeembodiment in which the vehicle telematics device 102 initially detectsa vehicle event is shown. In such embodiments, the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 is configured to monitor and analyze the sensor data producedby the vehicle sensors 104 to detect whether a vehicle event isoccurring. If so, the vehicle telematics device 102 sends a request forvideo data to the vehicle camera system 106 in communication 502. Inresponse, the vehicle camera system 106 transmits video data associatedwith the detected vehicle event to the vehicle telematics device 102 incommunication 504. The vehicle telematics device 102, in turn, transmitsthe video data and sensor data to the remote server system 112 incommunication 506. Additionally or alternatively, as discussed above,the vehicle telematics device 102 may prepare a vehicle event message,which may include the sensor data and/or video data along withadditional information, and transmits the vehicle event message incommunication 506.

Regardless, the vehicle telematics device 102 transmits the video dataand sensor data to the remote server system 112 over the network 114. Asdiscussed above, in some embodiments, the remote server system 112 maybe embodied as multiple servers, such as an independent video server 520and an independent telematics server 522 which may be in communicationwith each other. In such embodiments, the video data is transferred tothe video server 520 in communication 508, and the sensor data istransferred to the telematics server 522 in communication 510.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, in those embodiments in which thevehicle telematics device 102 is configured to initially detect avehicle event, the vehicle telematics device 102 may execute a method600 for driver behavior assessment. The method 600 may be embodied asthe vehicle event detection application or other set of instructions,which may be stored in the data storage 210 and loaded into the memory206 for execution by the processor 204 of the vehicle telematics device102.

The method 600 begins with block 602 in which the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 monitors the sensor data produced by the vehicle sensors 104and, in some embodiments, the onboard sensors 216. To do so, the vehicletelematics device 102 may utilize any sensor monitoring techniques suchas polling to periodically request sensor data or a doorbell techniquein which the vehicle sensor 104 notify the vehicle telematics device 102when sensor data is available. Regardless, in block 604, the vehicletelematics device 102 receives the sensor data produced by the one ormore vehicle sensors 104. Additionally, in embodiments in which thevehicle telematics device 102 includes the onboard sensors 216, thevehicle telematics device 102 may receive sensor data from those onboardsensors 216 in block 606. As discussed above, the vehicle sensors 104may provide the sensor data to the vehicle telematics device 102 overthe vehicle data bus 120.

In some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may locally storethe sensor data in block 608. For example, the vehicle telematics device102 may store the obtained sensor data in the memory 206 and/or the datastorage 210 (e.g., as sensor data 226). In this way, the vehicletelematics device 102 can monitor sensor data obtained from the vehiclesensors 104 over a period of time.

In block 610, the vehicle telematics device 102 analyzes the sensor datareceived from the vehicle sensors 104 to detect whether a vehicle eventhas occurred. For example, as shown in block 612 and discussed above,the vehicle telematics device 102 may analyze the sensor data to detectwhether a vehicle event indicative of a safety violation in theoperation of the vehicle 110 has occurred. To do so, in someembodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 the may compare theobtained sensor data against reference thresholds, averages, trendlines, historical references, and/or other references. For example, thevehicle telematics device 102 may compare the sensor data to a vehiclepolicy stored in the vehicle data 222, which may define safetyparameters of the vehicle and/or operation thereof (e.g., a maximumallowed speed, an allowable length of operation, etc.). Depending on thetype and number of sensor data, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayutilize any suitable analytical algorithm or methodology to determinewhether a vehicle event has occurred based on the sensor data. Forexample, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may usea machine learning or artificial intelligence algorithm to analyzesensor data from multiple sensors and across multiple time periods.Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayuse a classification algorithm to analyze the sensor data and detect theoccurrence of a vehicle event. In some particular embodiments, forexample, the vehicle telematics device 102 may use a crash determinationalgorithm as described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,055,909, entitled “Systemsand Methods for Crash Determination,” issued on Aug. 21, 2018 to CalAmpCorp., which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.Furthermore, depending on the type of sensor data, the vehicletelematics device 102 may apply different weighting factors to thedifferent sensor data.

In block 614, the vehicle telematics device 102 determines whether avehicle event was detected. If not, the method 600 loops back to block602 in which the vehicle telematics device 102 continues to monitorsensor data from the vehicle sensors 104. If, however, the vehicletelematics device 102 has detected a vehicle event based on the sensordata, the method 600 advances to block 616. In block 616, the vehicletelematics device 102 communicates with the vehicle camera system 106 toobtain video data associated with the detected vehicle event. To do so,in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may transmit aninstruction to the vehicle camera system 106 to initiate recording ofvideo in block 618 (e.g., an instruction that each of the road-facingcamera 132 and the driver-facing camera 134 begin recording).Alternatively, in other embodiments, the vehicle camera system 106 maybe configured to continually record video and, in such embodiments, thevehicle telematics device 102 may simply request the vehicle camerasystem 106 start providing the recorded video (i.e., the vehicletelematics device 102 may not directly control the recording of video bythe vehicle camera system 106). Additionally, in some embodiments, thevehicle telematics device 102 may request historical video data from thevehicle camera system 106 in block 620. For example, the vehicletelematics device 102 may request video data beginning a predeterminedamount of time prior to the detection of the vehicle event (e.g., tenseconds prior) so that the vehicle telematics device 102 has a completevisual record of the vehicle event.

In response, the vehicle camera system 106 transmits or otherwiseprovides the requested video data to the vehicle telematics device 102.For example, the vehicle camera system 106 may transmit the video datato the vehicle telematics device 102 via the camera I/O interface 122.As discussed above, the camera I/O interface 122 may be embodied as awired and/or wireless interface, and the vehicle camera system 106 maytransmit the video data to the vehicle telematics device 102 using anysuitable communication technology and/or protocol, such as Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, etc.

After receiving the video data from the vehicle camera system 106, thevehicle telematics device 102 may verify the detected vehicle event inblock 622 in some embodiments. That is, as shown in block 624, thevehicle telematics device 102 may further analyze the sensor data and/orvideo data to verify that the initially detected vehicle event hasactually occurred. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicletelematics device 102 may perform some analysis (e.g., a “lightweight”analysis) of the video data to confirm the interpretation, based on thesensor data from the vehicle sensors 104, that a vehicle event hasoccurred.

If the vehicle telematics device 102 verifies the detection of thevehicle event or if no verification process is used, the method 600advances to block 626 of FIG. 7. In block 626, in some embodiments, thevehicle telematics device 102 may generate a vehicle event message. Thevehicle event message may be embodied as any type of message capable ofnotifying the remote server system 112 that the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 has detected a vehicle event associated with the vehicle 110.For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayadd or append the sensor data used by the vehicle telematics device 102to detect the vehicle event to the vehicle event message in block 628.Additionally, the vehicle telematics device 102 may add or append thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and received fromthe vehicle camera system 106 to the vehicle event message in block 630.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayadd analytics data to the vehicle event message in block 632. Theanalytics data may include any analysis data resulting from or fromwhich the vehicle telematics device 102 determined that a vehicle eventhas occurred (e.g., the output of a machine learning or artificialintelligence algorithm).

Regardless, in block 634, the vehicle telematics device 102 transmitsthe video data and the sensor data to remote server system 112. Thevehicle telematics device 102 may transmits the video data and sensordata separately or in association with each other. As discussed above,the video data and sensor data may be stored on separate or the sameserver of the remote server system 112. For example, the video data maybe stored on the video server 520, and the sensor data may be stored onthe telematics server 522. In any case, the vehicle telematics device102 transmits the video and sensor data to the remote server system 112over the network 114. In some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device102 may be configured to cache the sensor data and/or video data andperiodically or responsively transfer the data to the remote serversystem 112 (e.g., until a suitable connection is established across thenetwork 114). In embodiments, in which the vehicle telematics device 102generates the vehicle event message in block 626, the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 may additionally or alternatively transmit the vehicle eventmessage in block 636. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicleevent message may include the sensor data, the video data, andadditional analytical and/or informational data, and the vehicletelematics device 102 may transmit only the vehicle event message to theremote server system 112 in block 634.

After the vehicle telematics device 102 has transmitted the sensor dataand video data in block 634, the vehicle telematics device 102determines whether a request for further data has been received from theremote server system 112. For example, the remote server system 112 mayperform additional analytics on the received sensor data and/or videodata to verify, identify, and/or qualify the detected vehicle event. Todo so, the remote server system 112 may utilize any suitable analyticalalgorithm or methodology to further analyze the sensor data and/or videodata including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence algorithmssuch as classification algorithms, regression algorithms, and/orclustering algorithms. In doing so, the remote server system 112 maydetermine that additional sensor data, video data, and/or otherinformation is need form the vehicle telematics device 102. If so, theremote server system 112 may transmit a request for such additional dataand/or information to the vehicle telematics device 102.

If no request is received from the remote server system 112 in block638, the method 600 loops back to block 602 in which the vehicletelematics device 102 continues to monitor the sensor data from thevehicle sensors 104. If, however, the vehicle telematics device 102receives a request from the remote server system 112 in block 638, themethod 600 advances to block 640. In block 640, the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 obtains the requested additional video data, sensor data, orother information. The vehicle telematics device 102 subsequentlytransmits the requested additional video data, sensor data, or otherinformation to the remote server system 112 in block 642, and the method600 loops back to block 602.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a communication flow 800 of the illustrativeembodiment in which the vehicle camera system 106 initially detects avehicle event is shown. In such embodiments, the vehicle camera system106 may include an analysis application 850, which may be executed bythe vehicle camera system 106 (e.g., by the road-facing camera 132and/or the driver-facing camera 134) to perform analytics of the videodata to detect whether a vehicle event is occurring (e.g., whether thevehicle 110 is speeding, has violated a stop sign, has drifted lanes, istailgating, etc.). If so, the vehicle camera system 106 sends anotification to the vehicle telematics device 102 that a vehicle eventhas been detected in communication 802. In response, the vehicletelematics device 102 sends a request for video data associated with thedetected vehicle event to the vehicle camera system 106 in communication804. The vehicle camera system 106 subsequently transmits video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event to the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 in communication 806. The vehicle telematics device 102, inturn, transmits the video data and sensor data to the remote serversystem 112 in communication 808. Additionally or alternatively, asdiscussed above, the vehicle telematics device 102 may prepare a vehicleevent message, which may include the sensor data and/or video data alongwith additional information, and transmits the vehicle event message incommunication 808.

Regardless, the vehicle telematics device 102 transmits the video dataand sensor data to the remote server system 112 over the network 114.For example, the video data may be transferred to the video server 520in communication 810, and the sensor data is transferred to thetelematics server 522 in communication 812.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, in those embodiments in which thevehicle camera system 106 initially detects a vehicle event, the vehicletelematics device 102 may execute a method 900 for driver behaviorassessment. Similar to the method 600 of FIGS. 6 and 7, the method 900may be embodied as the vehicle event detection application or other setof instructions, which may be stored in the data storage 210 and loadedinto the memory 206 for execution by the processor 204 of the vehicletelematics device 102.

The method 900 begins with block 902 in which the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 monitors the vehicle camera system 106 for an eventnotification. That is, in the illustrative embodiment, the vehiclecamera system 106 is configured to continually, periodically, orresponsively analyze the video data (e.g., the video data from theroad-facing camera 132 and/or the video data from the driver-facingcamera 134) to detect whether a vehicle event has occurred. To do so,the vehicle camera system may utilize any suitable visual analytics onthe video data to detect the occurrence of a vehicle event indicative ofa safety violation (e.g., a speeding violation, a stop sign violation,lane drifting, tailgating, etc.). If the vehicle camera system 106detects a vehicle event from the video data, the vehicle camera system106 transmits an event notification to the vehicle telematics device102, which is received by the vehicle telematics device 102 in block904.

If the vehicle telematics device 102 does not receive an eventnotification from the vehicle camera system 106 in block 904, the method900 loops back to block 902 in which the vehicle telematics device 102continues to monitor for event notifications. If, however, an eventnotification is received form the vehicle camera system 106, the method900 advances to block 906 in which the vehicle telematics device 102obtains sensor data from the one or more vehicle sensors 104 and, insome embodiments, the onboard sensors 216. For example, in block 908,the vehicle telematics device 102 receives the sensor data produced bythe one or more vehicle sensors 104. Additionally, in embodiments inwhich the vehicle telematics device 102 includes the onboard sensors216, the vehicle telematics device 102 may receive sensor data fromthose onboard sensors 216 in block 910. As discussed above, the vehicletelematics device 102 may also locally store the sensor data in block912. For example, the vehicle telematics device 102 may store theobtained sensor data in the memory 206 and/or the data storage 210(e.g., as sensor data 226).

Subsequently, in block 916, the vehicle telematics device 102 may verifythe detected vehicle event in some embodiments. That is, in theillustrative embodiment, the vehicle camera system 106 has detected avehicle event based on the video data and notified the vehicletelematics device 102 of the vehicle event. As such, in some embodimentsin block 916, the vehicle telematics device 102 may perform its ownanalysis on the sensor data received from the vehicle sensors 104(and/or the onboard sensors 216) to verify a vehicle event has occurredor otherwise increase the confidence that such a vehicle event hasoccurred. As discussed above, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayutilize any suitable analytical algorithm or methodology to verify thedetection of the vehicle event depending on, for example, the type andnumber of sensor data. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicletelematics device 102 the may compare the obtained sensor data againstreference thresholds, averages, trend lines, historical references,and/or other references. Additionally, in some embodiments, the vehicletelematics device 102 may compare the sensor data to a vehicle policystored in the vehicle data 222, which may define safety parameters ofthe vehicle and/or operation thereof (e.g., a maximum allowed speed, anallowable length of operation, etc.). Further, as discussed above, thevehicle telematics device 102 may use a machine learning or artificialintelligence algorithm to analyze sensor data from multiple sensors andacross multiple time periods.

If the vehicle telematics device 102 determines that the detectedvehicle event is verified (or if no verification is used), the vehicletelematics device 102 communicates with the vehicle camera system 106 toobtain video data associated with the detected vehicle event in block918. To do so, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102may transmit an instruction to the vehicle camera system 106 to initiaterecording of video in block 920 (e.g., an instruction that each of theroad-facing camera 132 and the driver-facing camera 134 beginrecording). Alternatively, in other embodiments as discussed above, thevehicle camera system 106 may be configured to continually record videoand, in such embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may simplyrequest the vehicle camera system 106 start providing the recorded video(i.e., the vehicle telematics device 102 may not directly control therecording of video by the vehicle camera system 106). Additionally, insome embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may requesthistorical video data from the vehicle camera system 106 in block 922.For example, the vehicle telematics device 102 may request video databeginning a predetermined amount of time prior to the detection of thevehicle event (e.g., ten seconds prior) so that the vehicle telematicsdevice 102 has a complete visual record of the vehicle event. Inresponse, the vehicle camera system 106 transmits or otherwise providesthe requested video data to the vehicle telematics device 102. Forexample, the vehicle camera system 106 may transmit the video data tothe vehicle telematics device 102 via the camera I/O interface 122.

After the vehicle telematics device 102 receives the video data from thevehicle camera system 106, the method 900 advances to block 924 of FIG.10. In block 924, the vehicle telematics device 102 may generate avehicle event message. As discussed above, the vehicle event message maybe embodied as any type of message capable of notifying the remoteserver system 112 that the vehicle telematics device 102 has detected avehicle event associated with the vehicle 110. For example, in someembodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may add or append thesensor data used by the vehicle telematics device 102 to detect thevehicle event to the vehicle event message in block 926. Additionally,the vehicle telematics device 102 may add or append the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and received from the vehiclecamera system 106 to the vehicle event message in block 928.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 mayadd analytics data to the vehicle event message in block 930. Asdiscussed above, the analytics data may include any analysis dataresulting from or from which the vehicle telematics device 102determined that a vehicle event has occurred (e.g., the output of amachine learning or artificial intelligence algorithm).

Regardless, in block 932, the vehicle telematics device 102 transmitsthe video data and the sensor data to remote server system 112. Again,as discussed above, the vehicle telematics device 102 may transmits thevideo data and sensor data separately or in association with each other.The video data and sensor data may be stored on separate or the sameserver of the remote server system 112. For example, the video data maybe stored on the video server 520, and the sensor data may be stored onthe telematics server 522. In any case, the vehicle telematics device102 transmits the video and sensor data to the remote server system 112over the network 114 as discussed above. Additionally, in someembodiments, the vehicle telematics device 102 may be configured tocache the sensor data and/or video data and periodically or responsivelytransfer the data to the remote server system 112 (e.g., until asuitable connection is established across the network 114). Inembodiments, in which the vehicle telematics device 102 generates thevehicle event message in block 626, the vehicle telematics device 102may additionally or alternatively transmit the vehicle event message inblock 934. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle event messagemay include the sensor data, the video data, and additional analyticaland/or informational data, and the vehicle telematics device 102 maytransmit only the vehicle event message to the remote server system 112in block 934.

After the vehicle telematics device 102 has transmitted the sensor dataand video data in block 934, the vehicle telematics device 102determines whether a request for further data has been received from theremote server system 112 in block 936. If no request is received fromthe remote server system 112 in block 936, the method 900 loops back toblock 902 in which the vehicle telematics device 102 continues tomonitor for event notifications from the vehicle camera system 106. If,however, the vehicle telematics device 102 receives a request from theremote server system 112 in block 936, the method 900 advances to block938. In block 938, the vehicle telematics device 102 obtains therequested additional video data, sensor data, or other information. Thevehicle telematics device 102 subsequently transmits the requestedadditional video data, sensor data, or other information to the remoteserver system 112 in block 940, and the method 900 loops back to block902.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and descriptionis to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, itbeing understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown anddescribed and that all changes and modifications that come within thespirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.

There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arisingfrom the various features of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systemsdescribed herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of themethods, apparatuses, and/or systems of the present disclosure may notinclude all of the features described yet still benefit from at leastsome of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in theart may readily devise their own implementations of the methods,apparatuses, and/or systems that incorporate one or more of the featuresof the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

1. A vehicle telematics device for assessing driver behavior, thevehicle telematics device comprising: a camera interface configured tocommunicate with a vehicle camera system of a vehicle to obtain videodata produced by the vehicle camera system; one or more processors; andone or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the one or moreprocessors and having stored therein a plurality of instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vehicletelematics device to: obtain sensor data from at least one vehiclesensor of the vehicle; analyze the sensor data to detect whether avehicle event has occurred; communicate, in response to detection of thevehicle event, with the vehicle camera system to obtain video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and the sensordata to a remote server system.
 2. The vehicle telematics device ofclaim 1, wherein to obtain the sensor data comprises to obtain sensordata from a vehicle sensor external to the vehicle telematics device andinstalled in the vehicle.
 3. The vehicle telematics device of claim 1,wherein to obtain the sensor data comprises to obtain sensor data from avehicle sensor located in the vehicle telematics device.
 4. The vehicletelematics device of claim 1, wherein to analyze the sensor datacomprises to analyze the sensor data to detect whether a vehicle eventindicative of a safety violation of the operation of the vehicle hasoccurred.
 5. The vehicle telematics device of claim 4, wherein toanalyze the sensor data comprises to analyze the sensor data over aperiod of time.
 6. The vehicle telematics device of claim 4, wherein toanalyze the sensor data comprises to compare the sensor data to areference threshold.
 7. The vehicle telematics device of claim 1,wherein to communicate with the vehicle camera system comprises totransmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, an instructionto the vehicle camera system to begin recording video.
 8. The vehicletelematics device of claim 1, wherein to communicate with the vehiclecamera system comprises to request video data from the vehicle camerasystem that includes a time period prior to the detection of the vehicleevent.
 9. The vehicle telematics device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,further cause the vehicle telematics device to analyze the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event to verify that the detectedvehicle event has occurred, wherein to transmit the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to aremote server system comprises to transmit, in response to verificationthat the detected vehicle event has occurred, the video data associatedwith the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to a remote serversystem.
 10. The vehicle telematics device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,further cause the vehicle telematics device to generate a vehicle eventmessage in response to detection of the vehicle event, wherein thevehicle event message includes the video data associated with thedetected vehicle event and the sensor data, and wherein to transmit thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and the sensordata comprises to transmit the vehicle event message to the remoteserver system.
 11. The vehicle telematics device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,further cause the vehicle telematics device to: monitor for a requestfrom the remote server system subsequent to the transmission of thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and thetransmitted sensor data; obtain, based on the request, additional sensordata from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle; and transmit theadditional sensor data to the remote server system.
 12. The vehicletelematics device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions,when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the vehicletelematics device to: monitor for a request from the remote serversystem subsequent to the transmission of the video data associated withthe detected vehicle event and the transmitted sensor data; obtain,based on the request, additional video data from the vehicle camerasystem; and transmit the additional video data to the remote serversystem.
 13. A method for assigning deriver behavior of a vehicle, themethod comprising: obtaining, by a vehicle telematics device, sensordata from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle; analyzing, by thevehicle telematics device, the sensor data to detect whether a vehicleevent has occurred; communicating, by the vehicle telematics device andin response to detection of the vehicle event, with a vehicle camerasystem of the vehicle to obtain video data associated with the detectedvehicle event from the vehicle camera system; and transmitting, by thevehicle telematics device and in response to detection of the vehicleevent, the video data associated with the detected vehicle event and thesensor data to a remote server system.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein analyzing the sensor data comprises analyzing the sensor data todetect whether a vehicle event indicative of a safety violation of theoperation of the vehicle has occurred.
 15. The method of claim 13,wherein communicating with the vehicle camera system comprisestransmitting, by the vehicle telematics device and in response todetection of the vehicle event, an instruction to the vehicle camerasystem to begin recording video.
 16. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising monitoring, by the vehicle telematics device, for a requestfrom the remote server system subsequent to the transmission of thevideo data associated with the detected vehicle event and thetransmitted sensor data; obtaining, based on the request, additionalsensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle; andtransmitting the additional sensor data to the remote server system. 17.A machine-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructionsstored thereon that, when executed, cause a vehicle telematics deviceto: obtain sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of a vehicle;analyze the sensor data to detect whether a vehicle event has occurred;communicate, in response to detection of the vehicle event, with avehicle camera system of the vehicle to obtain video data associatedwith the detected vehicle event from the vehicle camera system; andtransmit, in response to detection of the vehicle event, the video dataassociated with the detected vehicle event and the sensor data to aremote server system.
 18. The one or more non-transitory,machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein to analyze thesensor data comprises to analyze the sensor data to detect whether avehicle event indicative of a safety violation of the operation of thevehicle has occurred.
 19. The one or more non-transitory,machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein to communicate withthe vehicle camera system comprises to transmit, in response todetection of the vehicle event, an instruction to the vehicle camerasystem to begin recording video.
 20. The one or more non-transitory,machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality ofinstructions, when executed, further cause the vehicle telematics deviceto: monitor for a request from the remote server system subsequent tothe transmission of the video data associated with the detected vehicleevent and the transmitted sensor data; obtain, based on the request,additional sensor data from at least one vehicle sensor of the vehicle;and transmit the additional sensor data to the remote server system.